Wuchang fish industry casts a wider net

When Li Jiayi returned to her native Sanshan village in Ezhou, Hubei province, from Wuhan in September 2025, a weed-covered stretch of lakeshore caught her attention.

"This is a view you can't find in the city," Li, who was born in 2001 and had worked in Wuhan before returning home, said.

As one of the first participants in a local program encouraging young entrepreneurs to return, Li took charge of a lakeside camping center. With roads and other infrastructure improved by the local government, she introduced coffee, outdoor tea gatherings, frisbee, and camping to Sanshan Lake.

Li deliberately left one thing out: a kitchen. Visitors looking for meals are directed to restaurants run by villagers, while local residents are given priority for temporary work. The campsite also promotes products made by local cooperatives.

"Older generations made a living from the lake by catching fish," Li said. "We make a living from its scenery."

Her business reflects a broader shift around Sanshan Lake, where Ezhou is linking ecological restoration with aquaculture, processing, logistics, and tourism around its signature Wuchang fish.

The city's Wuchang fish industry generated more than 20 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) in output in 2025, helping 15,000 farming households increase their incomes, according to local authorities.

The transformation began with the lake itself. In 2016, local authorities began removing illegal structures and floating restaurants, extending sewage networks and treating aquaculture wastewater. After five years of restoration, the lake's water quality improved from Class IV to Class III.

Cleaner water has supported changes in aquaculture. Sanshan village has about 9,800 mu (653 hectares) of intensive fish ponds, producing around 7,000 metric tons of freshwater fish a year.

Among those upgrading the industry is Wang Ge, who shifted his business focus to Sanshan in 2022. He helped establish a cooperative that provides fish fry, feed and technical guidance, promotes common standards and connects producers with markets.

At its base, sensors allow farmers to monitor water temperature and dissolved oxygen on their phones. Wang has also built a standardized processing facility using a low-temperature, low-salt curing process.

"Low-temperature, low-salt curing helps preserve the fish's fresh flavor and nutrients," Wang said.

Researchers are also improving the fish itself. A national breeding center for blunt snout bream, the species commonly known as Wuchang fish, produces about 6 billion fry a year.

The locally developed Huahai No 2 variety grows about 20 percent faster than existing strains. A team led by Gao Zexia, a professor at Huazhong Agricultural University, has also spent about a decade developing Wuchang fish without the fine intermuscular bones that make freshwater fish difficult to eat.

Ezhou is developing cold-chain links between production areas and markets with Ezhou Huahu International Airport, giving producers faster access to distant buyers. In one shipment, Wuchang fish reached a restaurant in Beijing — about 1,200 kilometers away — roughly 20 hours after harvest.

Back in Sanshan, cafes, restaurants, and campsites now operate alongside aquaculture and processing businesses. The village's collective annual income has risen to about 1.2 million yuan, while per capita annual income has reached 41,000 yuan. More than 60 percent of its working-age residents now work or run businesses locally.

For Wu Han, 26, who returned after military service and now handles online operations for his family's fish business, the changes point to a different future.

"My grandfather raised fish to put food on the table, and my father raised them to make money," Wu said. "My generation wants to make Sanshan's Wuchang fish a nationally recognized brand."